Egon Olsen
Encyclopedia
Egon Olsen is a fictional character
in the Danish
film series The Olsen Gang
and the Norwegian
film series Olsenbanden. He is portrayed by Ove Sprogøe
in the Danish movies and by Arve Opsahl
in the Norwegian versions. In the Swedish version of the series, Jönssonligan
, his part was taken by the character Charles Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson, played by Gösta Ekman
(and in the later films by other characters, played by different actors).
Egon's involvement in each film follows a similar pattern. Egon constantly develops new and "genius" plans during his stays in prison. His catchphrase is "I have a plan", which he says to his accomplices in all fourteen films after being released from prison. The plan succeeds through the most intricate machinations (Egon's specialty is the cracking of safes with merely a stethoscope and fine feeling) but Egon always loses his object of desire due to some freak accident at the end of the movie, usually caused by the incompetence of his accomplices. Each film (Minus the sixth) ends with Egon's arrest.
's most successful and also last film role. Sprogøe was honoured with a Bodil in 1975 for Olsen-Bandens sidste bedrifter. The role had a legendary renown in former East Germany, and while many West Germans are unable to associate the name of the franchise with the Danish films, nearly all Eastern Germans can at least cite Benny's catchphrase "mächtig gewaltig, Egon" (Danish "Skide godt, Egon!" - in English literally "shit-good", but "Bloody good, Egon!" will catch the spirit better). Critics hypothesise that Egon's talent for improvisation impressed East Germans living under a socialist economy of scarcity, more than James Bond
did, fighting his enemies with the newest technological gimmicks.
The gaolers of the Vridsløselille prison in Copenhagen
, where Egon Olsen went at the end of each film, initiated a renaming of the street right in front of the prison into "Egon Olsens Vej" (55°39′40"N 12°20′53"E) in 2004. According to goalers and the prison warden, "Egon Olsen has always been a very nice criminal who deserves to be honoured", and "Egon has done much for the facility. Up until today, many tourists from Eastern Germany go on a pilgrimage to the prison gate to take pictures".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
film series The Olsen Gang
Olsen Gang
The Olsen Gang is a fictional Danish criminal gang in the movies of the same name. The gang's leader is the criminal genius and habitual offender Egon Olsen. The other members of the gang are Benny and Kjeld . The gang members are harmless and never use violence...
and the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
film series Olsenbanden. He is portrayed by Ove Sprogøe
Ove Sprogøe
Ove Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen was a Danish actor. Born in Odense, his parents were Arthur and Inger Sprogøe. He married Eva Rasmussen in 1945, with whom he had three children. One of these is actor Henning Sprogøe....
in the Danish movies and by Arve Opsahl
Arve Opsahl
Arve Opsahl was a Norwegian movie and stage actor, singer and stand-up comedian.Opsahl began his career as a comedian in 1942, and played numerous roles both on stage and in more than forty movies. He was then chosen to be the head of Olsenbanden, Egon Olsen...
in the Norwegian versions. In the Swedish version of the series, Jönssonligan
Jönssonligan
Jönssonligan, literally the Jönsson League, is featured in a series of comedic Swedish films. The gang consists of the criminal genius Charles Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson, hence the name, and his two companions "Dynamit-Harry" and Ragnar Vanheden...
, his part was taken by the character Charles Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson, played by Gösta Ekman
Gösta Ekman
Hans Gösta Gustaf Ekman is a Swedish actor.-Biography:One of Sweden's most appreciated, respected and popular actors; Gösta Ekman started his career in theatre but has also appeared in several Swedish films, including the Jönssonligan series...
(and in the later films by other characters, played by different actors).
Egon Olsen in the Danish series
In the Danish original, Egon Olsen is the small and wiry boss of the Olsen Gang. His two sidekicks are the merry Benny and the timid, pudgy Kjeld. Kjeld's wife, Yvonne, is the only one who Egon has to fight, as she tends to interfere with his plans. Egon Olsen's hallmark is his bowler hat, pinstripe suit, and an extinguished cigar end in his mouth, even when he is gagged. Egon Olsen is one of the typical antiheros of film history, an eternal loser who wobbles but does not fall over. Some observers have pointed out that "Egon Olsen projects the image of an anarchist, an outcast from the world of established capitalism as well as from the secure world of the petite bourgeoisie."Egon's involvement in each film follows a similar pattern. Egon constantly develops new and "genius" plans during his stays in prison. His catchphrase is "I have a plan", which he says to his accomplices in all fourteen films after being released from prison. The plan succeeds through the most intricate machinations (Egon's specialty is the cracking of safes with merely a stethoscope and fine feeling) but Egon always loses his object of desire due to some freak accident at the end of the movie, usually caused by the incompetence of his accomplices. Each film (Minus the sixth) ends with Egon's arrest.
Reception and influence
The role of Egon Olsen was Ove SprogøeOve Sprogøe
Ove Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen was a Danish actor. Born in Odense, his parents were Arthur and Inger Sprogøe. He married Eva Rasmussen in 1945, with whom he had three children. One of these is actor Henning Sprogøe....
's most successful and also last film role. Sprogøe was honoured with a Bodil in 1975 for Olsen-Bandens sidste bedrifter. The role had a legendary renown in former East Germany, and while many West Germans are unable to associate the name of the franchise with the Danish films, nearly all Eastern Germans can at least cite Benny's catchphrase "mächtig gewaltig, Egon" (Danish "Skide godt, Egon!" - in English literally "shit-good", but "Bloody good, Egon!" will catch the spirit better). Critics hypothesise that Egon's talent for improvisation impressed East Germans living under a socialist economy of scarcity, more than James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
did, fighting his enemies with the newest technological gimmicks.
The gaolers of the Vridsløselille prison in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, where Egon Olsen went at the end of each film, initiated a renaming of the street right in front of the prison into "Egon Olsens Vej" (55°39′40"N 12°20′53"E) in 2004. According to goalers and the prison warden, "Egon Olsen has always been a very nice criminal who deserves to be honoured", and "Egon has done much for the facility. Up until today, many tourists from Eastern Germany go on a pilgrimage to the prison gate to take pictures".